


I Don't Think So

by WrathoftheStag (Mwuahna)



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: A description of a crime scene., A pretentious hipster artisanal bar, Art is Anal, Artisanal cocktails!, Booty Calls, Crack is whack, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Freddie is quantifiably bitchy, Freddie is the Sass Queen, Hannibal AU, Hannibal and Freddie are Best Friends, Hannibal is adorable, Hannibal is still a cannibal, Idiots in Love, M/M, Sexy Times, Shopping Fluff, These two fools are so smitten with each other, Uncle Jack is kind of a shit, What even is it?, Will Tries to Pick Up Hannibal at a Bar, Will and Beverly are Best Friends, Will is adorkable, Work Woes, hook ups, one murder description
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 03:34:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6178678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mwuahna/pseuds/WrathoftheStag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Semi-cracky, sometime smutty AU where Hannibal and Freddie are best friends (really) and meet Will and Beverly, for the first time, at a bar. <i>Will</i> a connection be made?  All signs point to yes! Yes! Oh, god!  YES!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hey, Sweet Cheeks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Devereauxs_Disease](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devereauxs_Disease/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look [at these little noodles](http://56.media.tumblr.com/de4b3f6cfb111c8b10ca52e84ea0753c/tumblr_o3nbhxbAYK1ufd8hqo1_500.jpg). How fun do they look?

Will had had just about enough of this terrible, most awful, no good week. Between the Cleveland Strangler’s arrest, and Buster breaking a leg as he chased a squirrel, he was ready to crawl into bed for the entire weekend and not deal with anything.

If he could just make it to the elevator without seeing anyone, he could go ahead and begin his two-day sleepfest. Will practically dove into the elevator, and sighed with relief as the doors were almost closed only to have a hand pop in, and force them open.

“Hey, sweet cheeks. I betcha you forgot, didn’t you?” 

Beverly Katz, Will’s closest friend and for all intents and purposes office wife, stood in between the elevator doors with arms crossed in front of her.

“Forgot what?” Will asked, eyebrows raised.

“You. Me. A drink at that new place I’ve been dying to try. You know, the one owned by my cousin’s boyfriend. You promised, Graham. You can’t punk out on me now, you jackhole.”

Jack Crawford walked by, and looked in their direction.

“Sorry, Jack,” Beverly said sheepishly.

Jack shook his head and walked on.

“Jesus, Beverly. I didn’t forget, okay?”

Beverly stared at Will and unfolded her arms to slowly point a finger at him. 

“Fine,” Will said. “I forgot -- but there’s no need to get all ‘jackhole-y’ with me. We’ll go, but you’re driving.”

“Yay! Did we decide if we want to invite the rest of Team Sassy Science?” Beverly asked.

“Ugh, you’re lucky I’m going at all. No need to get those two into the mix.”

“We didn’t want to go anyway!” they heard being yelled from down the hall.

Beverly laughed and said, “Okay, but first let’s stop at my place and get you dolled up, Graham. Who knows, you might actually get laid tonight.”

Will grunted and just did as he was told. No point in arguing with Beverly. Still, the idea of possibly getting laid was something he didn’t entirely dismiss.

***

“Listen, you sassy sartorial bitch -- I understand you have to sit there and finish listening to all of those cry babies first but you promised you would go out with me tonight.”

“Fredricka, I’ve asked you time and time again, please do not call me a bitch,” Hannibal sighed into his speaker phone as he finished some patient notes.

Freddie Lounds had just put a coat of quick dry on her toenails while she yelled into the cell phone smashed between her head and shoulder.

“You canceled the last time and at the last minute, which I believe in your old world is considered the height of rudeness so I am absolutely not letting you out of it this time.” 

“Yes, I am aware and you are correct. I will not cancel this time.”

“Damn straight you won’t. Pick me up at 6:00, we’ll have a light dinner and then we’ll go to that new place I keep hearing good things about. They have artisanal cocktails and whatnot. I’m sure you’ll find enough variety of things to turn your nose up at.”

“I am almost done here, so I will go home and change and see you at 6:00 p.m.”

“Good. One last thing, Hanni. Should I go with my new Balmain or my new Stella?”

“Which Balmain?”

“The black and red.”

“Yes.”

“Kisses!”

“Of course.”

Hannibal pressed the off button on his phone and wondered how he had come to the point in his life where Freddie was one of the most outlandish and rude people he knew, and yet currently one of his closest friends. 

They had met at a sample sale of all places. Hannibal had gone out of curiosity, after receiving an invitation in the mail. He had been admiring a cashmere scarf he found on one of the tables, when a red finger nailed hand came down, grabbed the other end, and he heard a voice say, “I don’t think so, gorgeous.” 

Rather than be insulted, he was somehow charmed by this brash, loud person who seemed full of life, and in the words of Freddie herself, gave "zero fucks.” The rest, as they say, was kismet. He loved her and appreciated her company, but still Hannibal rolled his eyes as he got up from his desk, taking his patient notes to file away. 

“Hannibal,” he said to himself, “you are most certainly in desperate need of some male companionship.”


	2. Tempest and Board

Tempest and Board was Baltimore’s newest It spot. It was a place to be seen and to partake of some damn fine drinks -- at least that is what their marketing department had claimed. They boasted having the best mixologists around who “possessed a more culinary approach to making drinks.” The wait to get in was always a ridiculous one. Had Beverly not known the owners, the chance of Will and her getting a table right away would have been nil. 

“You look really nice, Graham” Beverly said as she looked Will up and down. He was wearing a dark rust-colored shirt with the black trousers he had worn all day, and his hair was meticulously styled. 

An hour earlier, Will sat on the toilet seat in Beverly’s bathroom while she combed Will’s curls in place with something she called molding wax, “My brothers were slobs who didn’t dress up, so it’s nice to mess around with some dude’s hair and make it fancy.” 

“So why exactly did you have this shirt in your apartment?” he had asked.

“It was going to be a birthday present for you,” she said as she admired her handy work.

“But my birthday is months away,” he said while he buttoned the rest of the shirt.

“Truthbomb, I saw it and it was on sale. I liked the color so I decided to get it then and there, and it’s been sitting in my closet all this time. Uh...happy early birthday?” 

And now they were bypassing the line and being seated at Tempest and Board. Tempest and Board was more upscale than your average bar. The drink menu alone was five pages long and featured ingredients like rose water, egg whites and walnut syrup and ridiculous hipster names like The Little Death, Lady Macbeth, Banjo’s Kiss.

Will and Beverly were shown to a small table near a corner, which afforded them a view of the entire place.

“I hear their small plates are amazing,” Beverly said.

“How small are they?” Will asked as he looked at the menu and frowned. “All I want is a glass of whiskey, Bev. I think I can go without the tobacco bitters -- or whatever else is listed here.”

Beverly smiled and playfully punched Will on the shoulder, “Oh, just try to enjoy it will you? Soak up the atmosphere," she said as she looked around the room, her gaze resting on the group of women seated at the bar. "Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky -- maybe _you’ll_ get lucky." 

"I don't think so."

One of the women at the bar, a brunette with blue eyes, smiled at Beverly. "Maybe I’ll get lucky,” Beverly said.

Will laughed.

Freddie and Hannibal, of course, had no problem getting in and being seated right away. They were the type of gorgeous people that places like Tempest and Board would gladly have paid to come in. Freddie grabbed Hannibal by the hand as they walked through the bar commanding everyone’s attention. She knew how to draw attention to herself, and having Hannibal on her arm certainly didn’t hinder the cause.

They were seated at the table next to Will and Beverly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True story: I used the [Hipster Business Name Generator](http://www.hipsterbusiness.name/) to name the bar. The bar is based on a place here in my city, and the drink names are that hilarious.


	3. Twitchy Resting Face

Hannibal pulled out Freddie’s chair as she slowly lowered herself down making sure her dramatic entrance would be noticed by all, flipping her hair over her shoulders as she finally sat. Hannibal then pulled out his chair and sat. Their hostess handed them each a menu and walked away. Freddie took hers gingerly, scanned the room through lowered lashes and then tossed her hair back once more.

“Hmm...are you quite done now, Fredricka?” Hannibal asked as he perused the menu.

“That ought to get them curious for now,” she smiled and opened her menu.

Beverly elbowed Will and said, “What the what!? Check out the ginger at the table next to us.” Will had been looking at his phone, wondering if good fishing weather was in the forecast for the next day, so he had missed the big entrance.

“What?” he asked.

“Ginger, 9 o’clock.”

“It’s only 7:30.”

“Bless your heart. No, over there,” Beverly motioned with her head toward Hannibal and Freddie’s table.

Will looked over and it was then that he first saw Hannibal. He sitting tall and straight with so much self-assuredness, cheekbones for days, hair perfectly in place, dressed as though he had just stepped off some business men’s runway. There was something about him that called to Will somehow, he wasn't sure what it was exactly. This man...who was this man?

At the same moment, Hannibal feeling the weight of Will’s gaze upon him, glanced up from his menu and took in this charmingly shabby darling who had an open and honest face, knowing blue eyes, and the cutest of ears. The way this man held himself -- like a wild horse that needed to take off running, but was trying its damnedest to remain calm -- interested Hannibal immensely.  


They both stared, each unsure if they were actually having “a moment” or just experiencing curiosity about a stranger.

“Uh...wow,” Will mumbled.

“Yeah. She’s hot, right?” Beverly said.

“Erm...no.”

Beverly looked at Will, then over at Hannibal, then back at Will. She grinned and said, “Graham, get some of that. Yowza!”

Hannibal raised an eyebrow and smiled, then took his gaze back down to the menu.

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me. Mr. Man over there was totally checking you out, and you were checking him out.”

“I don’t think so. I mean, look at him,” Will said. 

Beverly smiled at Will and said, “I am -- but not how _you_ were.”

Will rolled his eyes.

"Don’t sell yourself short, Graham. He’d be the lucky one if you decided to talk to him.”

*

“So what are you getting, hot pants?”

“Oh, I have not decided just yet.”

“Well I hope it’s not twitchy resting face over there,” she said pointing at Will, “Don’t think I didn’t see you checking that ‘situation’ out.”

“Must you always judge so harshly, Fredricka?”

“Have we met?”

“Yes,” Hannibal said with a mild grin, “Forgive me. I do not know what I was thinking.” 

“Also,” Freddie said, “pot meet the fucking kettle. Listen, my job as a BFF is making sure you don’t go home with a future...mistake. That guy is totally beneath you.”

Hannibal smirked and said, “Well, that is one potential outcome.”

*

Beverly’s “Crying in the Bathtub” came to the table, as well as Will’s plain whiskey, much to the chagrin of their server.

“Just a tumbler of whiskey?” the server had asked.

“Yes," Will had replied. "No essence of anything, or any flowers accompanying it. Thanks.”

Beverly examined her drink and said, “So, Mr. Man over there keeps looking at you. I think you should go talk to him.”

“Are you out of your mind? That’s probably his wife.”

“No way. She is clearly here to catch a dick -- not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“Crude, Bev.”

“It’s true, Will,” Beverly took a sip of her drink. “Oh my god! This is amazing. What the hell is in this? Angel tears?”

“I wouldn’t even know what the say to someone like that.”

“Someone like what? Jesus, Will. Just go talk to him. Damn, this drink is good.”

*

A man with a beard and his hair up in a man bun casually walked to the table and approached Freddie. “Hello,” he said.

“Hello,” she replied without much interest. He was definitely not her type.

“You know, you have such a pretty face. You really should smile.”

“I will when you’re dead, sweetheart.”

And that right there was one of the reasons Hannibal Lecter loved Freddie Lounds. The man, dejected and rejected, turned to walk back from where he came from.

“Well done, Fredricka,” Hannibal said toasting her bravado and while he raised his glass to her, he noticed that curly haired darling at the next table was now watching him from behind his menu.


	4. Don’t Be a Weirdo About It

“That is SO creepy, Graham.” Beverly swatted at Will, “Stop it.”

Will startled, and then immediately felt like an idiot as he placed his menu back on the table. 

“Check out that dude if you want, but don’t be a weirdo about it.”

“I just wanted to...I don’t know,” Will sighed. Why was this so difficult? Will had never been one of those men who could just walk up to someone and say, “Hey!” or whatever magic word men said when they approached a potential love interest. The closest Will ever got to flirting was buying Alana Bloom a cup of coffee, and then spilling it on her stupid wrap dress. 

He later realized it wasn’t that he was terrible at flirting, he’d just been flirting with the wrong people. Of course, peeping at someone from behind a menu didn’t necessarily show him to be the king of the male dating scene either, but he was trying.

Hannibal couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing the curly haired darling’s embarrassed reaction as his friend hit him. It was all he could do to not go over there and just introduce himself -- but really, he was enjoying the show this man was inadvertently putting on. Hannibal also wanted to see if he would be brave enough to approach him first. Still, no harm in encouraging him...a least a bit. 

Freddie turned to look at Hannibal just in time to see him give Will a quick wink.

“Oh my god, Hannibal! Are you shitting me?” she asked as she tightly clutched his forearm. “What did I say?”

“Fredricka, this is an expensive jacket.” Hannibal said as his eyes flew to her offending hand and back to her face.

“No shit, Sherlock. I was there when you bought it. Do I need to get a spray bottle or a rolled up newspaper to hit you on the nose with? What did I say about that guy?” she asked motioning toward Will. 

“Well, I think he’s charming. Look at him…”

“I don’t think so.”

They both turned to look directly at Will, while Will was still processing the wink Hannibal had thrown in his direction.

With his brow furrowed, Will grabbed Beverly’s knee under the table, prompting her to look at him as he mumbled out of the side of his mouth, “He...just winked at me.”

“What are you going on about, handsy?" she asked, and then finished her drink. "Why are you talking like that?”

“That man just winked at me,” Will said out of the side of his mouth.

Beverly laughed and said, “So? What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing. His -- I don’t know -- _person_ saw him wink and started yelling at him. See, I told you. They’re together.”

“I don’t think so. If they are, then why are they both staring at you like that? And why is he smiling?”

Will shrugged and took a big swallow of whiskey.

“Okay, you all are freaking me out. Our server is MIA, so I’m going to the bar to order another round and to say hello to that cutie over there with the great set of...eyes.” Before he could squeak out his protest, Beverly was gone leaving Will alone with only Freddie and Hannibal’s stares keeping him company.

*

“Oh jeez, now he’s alone. Is that supposed to be your cue to go talk to him?” Freddie asked.

Hannibal smiled and tilted his head slightly to the right, noticing that the curly haired darling gulped when he saw this. “Actually, I am going to see if he’ll come to me.”

“Thank god. That guy will _never_ come over. Look at him. He looks like a meek mouse about to shit his little mouse off-the-rack pants. It’s a miracle he’s out at all instead of home with his...I don’t know, 20 cats or whatever?”

“I believe he is more of a dog person,” Hannibal said. 

“Whatever, darling. Point is, he has homebody written all over him.”

All the motioning and looking in his direction did two things to Will, it made him feel extremely uncomfortable and it made him think that perhaps he should just say hello. At least it would bring an end to whatever it was that was happening. 

Beverly walked up to the table, deposited a drink in front of Will and said, “Here. Liquid courage. Now go get him, tiger!” as she waltzed away again. 

At that moment, he noticed another man approach Mr. Man’s table who began talking to the angry redhead. She laughed and threw her head back, as Mr. Man watched with an amused look on his face. He then saw the man procure a business card which Redhead took and put in her purse. The table visitor walked away with a smile on his face. Clearly, Mr. Man and Red were neither on a date or a couple. This -- and the whiskey -- gave Will courage. 

He looked back at the bar and caught Beverly’s eye. She gave him a thumbs up, and so it was that Will made his way to Hannibal’s table.


	5. What’s to Be Done About That?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just changed the rating, folks, from Mature to Explicit. What's to be done about that?  
> 
> 
>   
>    
> 

“Seriously? Mouse boy is coming this way. Oh, Jesus,” Freddie said as she folded her arms and looked at Hannibal.

Hannibal leaned forward in his seat, arms resting gently on the table as he offered Will an open, friendly smile.

Will returned the smile and stopped in front of their table and said, “Hi.”

“Hello,” Hannibal replied, about to offer Will a seat.

Then Freddie interrupted, “I don’t think so, Old Navy. Turn yourself around, you weren’t invited.”

Will frowned, and said, “Uh...sorry?”

“Yeah, you are. My friend’s not interested, okay?” Freddie said.

“Fredricka, that’s enough,” Hannibal said but by then Will had walked quickly away making a dash toward the stairwell to the men’s room.

Hannibal turned to look at her and said, “You've been terribly rude, Fredricka. What’s to be done about that?”

Freddie knew there were only so many buttons she could push before she’d cross the line she did not want to cross, and now she realized she had crossed it.

“Sheesh! I’m sorry, all right? God! I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings -- or whatever.”

Hannibal stared at her with a neutral expression and did not say a word.

“I hate when you do that,” she grimaced, shoulders raised up, her gaze avoided Hannibal’s. “I said I’m sorry.”

Hannibal continued to stare.

“I didn’t realize you actually wanted to talk to him. In my defense, you _never_ want to talk to anyone. Am I supposed to read your mind? Do you want me to go find him?”

“No, I believe you have already done quite enough,” Hannibal said as he rose from his seat and walked in the direction Will had retreated.

Beverly watched the entire situation from the bar, and marched to the table once Hannibal had left. “What the hell happened with my friend, Red?”

*

Crushed and embarrassed, Will made a beeline to the stairwell to find the men’s room on the lower level. He stopped mid-flight and wondered how he could have misinterpreted the signs. Mr. Man was flirting, wasn’t he? Will felt like an idiot; he sat on one of the steps and pulled out his phone to text Beverly he was leaving. Just then, Will heard some footsteps behind him and a figure sat on the step, next to him. He turned to look. It was Mr. Man.

“Hello,” Hannibal said.

Will scanned Hannibal’s entire face with wide eyes and said, “Hello?”

“I would like to apologize for my friend. She means well, but can be quite rude sometimes. It’s something I really should remedy. I am sorry if she offended you.”

“You didn’t have to come here to tell me. It’s nice of you, but I get it. You’re not interested. I appreciate the courtesy. Good night,” Will shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

“Am I not?” Hannibal said turning his head to fully face Will, looking into his eyes.

Will, being the empath that he was, tilted his head slightly and returning the shared intimacy looked deep into Hannibal’s eyes, feeling the warmth and faint pulse of lust and curiosity.

Will reached out and gently placed his palm on Hannibal’s cheek. Hannibal slowly closed his eyes, and Will leaned in to kiss him.

 

*

Opening the locked maintenance closet had been easy; little did the other know of their talent for prying open locked doors. Keeping hands from ripping buttons off anchoring fabric, however, proved to be more difficult as Hannibal tore off the first few buttons from Will’s shirt to open it and kiss his collarbone and chest. Hannibal then cupped Will’s face and began kissing him, parting his lips with his tongue. 

“This shirt was just given to me,” Will muttered while entangled in a frantic sliding, wet kiss, his hands running through Hannibal’s hair. “It’s a birthday present,” he murmured into Hannibal’s mouth.

“Happy birthday,” Hannibal said as he pushed Will up against a wall in the closet causing bottles of soap and floor cleaner to fall off nearby shelves. 

“It’s not my birthday,” Will replied with a smile as Hannibal’s hands furiously slid from the top of Will’s head to his lower back, and up again. Will reciprocated by pressing his aching groin into Hannibal’s, causing Hannibal to spread his legs wide apart desperately searching for more contact. Will slid his hands onto Hannibal’s ass, lustily pulling him into every thrust he gave.

In between hot, ragged breaths and a break from tongues exploring eager mouths, Will muttered into Hannibal’s ear, “Will it sound like a total fucking cliché to say I never do this sort of thing?” 

Hannibal took Will’s hands and raised them over his head, pressing them against the wall and replied, “No. Not coming from you.” Hannibal emitted a thick low groan when Will bent down and bit into his jaw.

They paused for a moment breathing heavily, each appreciating the other’s desire-filled dark eyes, and with a grin Will slipped his hands out of Hannibal’s grip and slowly slid down the wall, dropping to his knees. Hannibal, panting, rested both of his hands on the wall and looked down to take in all of Will’s pending movements.

Will displayed a most wicked smile as he unbuckled Hannibal’s belt, unzipped his pants, and released Hannibal’s erection taking it into his hand, pumping twice. Hannibal threw his head back and groaned again, and this time it wasn’t a low quiet thing. It was ardor and it was fire, and caused Will’s cock to twitch and harden even more so -- before it had even been touched. 

Will slowly pushed down Hannibal’s foreskin, and teasingly licked the sensitive area on the underside of the cock. He placed a gentle kiss there which caused Hannibal to stand on his toes, and then he languidly descended gripping Hannibal's hips tightly, pressing bruises into the skin. 

Hannibal took his hand away from the wall and cupped Will’s face, stroking the plane of his cheek with his thumb. Will turned his head sideways and drew Hannibal’s thumb into his mouth, all the while continuing his steady stroking as Hannibal murmured to Will, “You are so very beautiful.”

Will, feeling not quite like himself -- so open and adventurous with Mr. Man ( _God,_ Will thought, _I don’t even know his name._ ) -- responded by the release of Hannibal’s thumb with a flirty smile. He then took Hannibal’s cock back into his mouth giving it all he had, sucking and taking him to the hilt, as Hannibal began to fuck into the velvet heat of Will’s mouth, reaching the back of Will’s throat. 

Hannibal pulled out and lifted Will to stand, bringing him into a hot, breathless kiss. “I want you to finish with me,” Hannibal panted into Will’s mouth. “Yes. Oh god, yes,” Will gasped as Hannibal began to unzip Will’s pants releasing his cock.

Hannibal held his hand flat in front of his face and licked his palm from bottom to top, turning it to Will who then did the same -- tongue hot and strong, eyes never once leaving Hannibal's.

Hannibal took both of their cocks in his hand and began to stroke them, while Will nipped at his lips; tongues then entangled violently, foreheads pressed together, their breathing becoming more and more erratic. Mouths and teeth knocking together.

Will could feel the deep, strong pull in his stomach begin to get tighter and tighter, as Hannibal began moaning into Will’s mouth. Both of Hannibal’s hands were now covering their cocks, and Will could feel himself approaching the precipice wrapping his arm around Hannibal's neck. “Fuck,” he said, “I am close. So close. Please...don’t stop.” 

Hannibal began arching his back slightly and then bent forward to say thickly in Will’s ear, “Then let yourself go, and I will follow.” That’s all it took, really. Will’s mouth fell open, eyes squeezed shut and then he was coming, fast and hard. Hannibal followed immediately, just as he said he would. 

Hannibal’s hand continued to stroke without relenting, their come coating their cocks -- slick and slippery. Will stumbled forward and held onto Hannibal, his face buried in Hannibal’s neck, as Hannibal coaxed the last spasms out of them both.

There was no other sound in the room but that of their broken breathing.

***

Hannibal returned to his table, without any hint on his face of what had just transpired in the maintenance closet. He sat down, smoothed his tie, cleared his throat and took a sip from the goblet of water on the table. Freddie stared at him without saying a word. She finally spoke, “So where the hell did you go?”

“The men’s room,” he replied calmly.

“The men’s room?" she said with an eyebrow raised. "Is that right?”

Hannibal was silent and took a look at the menu, Freddie remained quiet but looked him up and down.

Will appeared a few moments later, and walked back to his table wearing the largest grin imaginable. Beverly sat there, talking to the woman she met at the bar.

“Where did you take off to?” she said to Will. “I was worried.”

Will, with a Cheshire cat grin, replied, “Downstairs. That’s all.”

Beverly looked at Will with an analytical gaze and asked, “What were you doing?” 

“Talking...to Mr. Man.”

She studied his face, then looked at his shirt, his hair, and everything suddenly snapped into place. “William Graham! That is JBF hair. You’ve just been fu---”

“Shh!” Will held up a finger to his lips. The woman at the table laughed and then said, “Hi, I’m Reya.”

“Will.”

“Oh my god! You and Mr. Man?” Beverly whispered excitedly. Reya said, “I’m guessing that’s Mr. Man?” as she discreetly pointed at Hannibal, “Because that guy’s been eye boinking you since you sat down.”

*

“Fredricka, I’m afraid you’ll have to find your own way home tonight. I can’t imagine that should be a problem.”

“Are you kidding me? I said I was sorry, and clearly,” she said as she swiped at Hannibal’s tie, “he _accepted_ your apology.”

Hannibal looked at her, all wide eyes, bouncing curls, pleading voice, “Hanni?”

“What am I going to do with you?” he asked.

“Love me forever, and continually forgive me,” she beamed.

“Yes, I suppose so. Still, I was quite serious when I said you will have to find your own way home tonight.”

“Fine,” Freddie said with a pout.

Hannibal leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, you sassy sexy Lithuanian," said Freddie.

“And I shall answer.”

*

Hannibal walked up to their table; Will, Beverly, and Reya smiled in unrehearsed synchronicity.

“Would you care to accompany me, uh…” Hannibal suddenly felt mortified realizing he didn’t even know his curly haired darling’s name.

“Will. Will Graham.”

Beverly and Reya looked at Will, then at Hannibal, and back at Will as if they were witnessing a sexy tennis match.

“Hannibal. Hannibal Lecter.”


	6. Mutual...Want?

Will and Hannibal exited Tempest and Board and began the walk to Hannibal’s car. “I hope your friends do not mind that I’ve taken you away,” Hannibal said as he leaned in slightly toward Will, shoulder grazing shoulder.

Will smiled and shook his head, “Beverly didn’t mind. In fact, I think she may be excited I’m actually on a date.” Will suddenly froze in place. “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to presume. I mean, this isn’t a date.”

“Is it not?” Hannibal asked as they waited at the crosswalk for the light to change.

“Well...I don’t know.”

Hannibal smiled, “While it did begin in a most unconventional way, I do feel it has progressed into a date.”

“You mean because we now know each other’s names?” Will said with a smirk.

Hannibal chuckled, “Yes, exactly.”

The light changed and Hannibal placed his hand on Will’s lower back as they crossed the street, Will leaning into the touch with a small exhale of excitement.

They were silent for the half a block walk, and then finally reached Hannibal’s Bentley.

“This is you car?” Will asked.

“Yes. Why?” Hannibal said.

“Oh, no reason,” _Other than the fact that it costs more than my damn house_ , Will thought.

Hannibal opened Will’s door for him, “Thank you,” Will said suddenly remembering Redhead’s words, “I don’t think so, Old Navy.”

Hannibal entered the driver’s seat elegantly and looked over to Will noticing his tense body language.

“Is everything fine?”

“Look, we...you don’t have to feel obligated.”

Hannibal furrowed his brow, “Is it you who is feeling obligated?”

Will shook his head.

“Well then, there is no mutual obligation.” Hannibal placed his right pointer finger on Will’s knee and stroked it lightly and said, “Only mutual...want?” 

Will’s breath hitched and he found himself pulling Hannibal by the tie, and then he pounced on him. Hannibal instantly grabbed Will by the back of the head, yanking his hair, and plunging his tongue into Will’s mouth with a desperate need. Will’s hand reached for Hannibal’s inner thigh, then slid toward the center. He felt Hannibal’s hardening beneath his ceaseless kneading.

Hannibal broke the kiss and said, “My home is not far from here. Would you like to come over?” Will nodded and replied, voice thick with want, “Yeah. Take me there.”

***

They pulled into Hannibal’s driveway and Will could not help but laugh at the sight before him. The enormous house, the car, the fancy clothes -- again he asked himself, who was this man?

Hannibal unlocked the door and walked over to silence the alarm. Will stood there allowing him that moment of privacy, taking a second to look around and take in the breadth of the entryway -- lush colors, dramatic without being severe, the promise of decadence and expensive design within.

Hannibal took off his coat and jacket, and said to Will, “May I?”

“Thanks,” Will said as he gave him his coat. Hannibal hung them up in the entry closet, placed his jacket gently over a chair and in one smooth move was in front of Will.

“Would you care for a glass of wine?” Hannibal asked as he took Will by the collar, leaning in to nip at his ear.

“Sure.”

“If there’s a particular varietal you would like, let me know. I can go to the wine cellar if I don’t have it up here.”

Will tilted his neck, inviting Hannibal in. “Wine cellar, huh? I’m not even much of a wine _buyer_ , so I am sure whatever you pick will be fine.”

Hannibal kissed Will’s neck and said, “Are you always this clever?”

Will exhaled and said, “No. Sometimes I’m cunning.” Will wasn’t quite sure where this sass was coming from but he rather liked it and was impressed with himself, hearing Bev’s voice telling him, “Don’t sell yourself short, Graham.”

Hannibal led Will to the kitchen which was all sensuality and stainless steel. A smooth wooden butcher block stood near the stove. A supple leather chair in one corner. Hannibal took two wine glasses from a cabinet and opened a bottle of Chateau Montelena cabernet, pouring a glass for Will and one for himself. Will took a sip, touched his upper lip with his tongue and then said, “Now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me?”

Will stood on one side of the stainless steel kitchen island. Hannibal, drinking his wine, stood on the other looking at him.

Will put his glass down and stroked the edge of the island with one hand and began walking around it toward Hannibal. Hannibal did not move, nor did his eyes ever leave Will’s. He enjoyed seeing Will take initiative. Not so meek this mouse, after all. 

Will finally reached Hannibal and placed his hand that had been trailing the counter, on top of Hannibal’s. Hannibal inhaled deeply and could smell Will’s arousal causing his cock to twitch once, twice.

Hannibal stepped forward and slowly placed both hands to cup Will’s face. He moved in closer, and let his lips dance gently over Will’s; not adding any pressure, just letting them ghost over. Will licked his lips, his tongue quickly brushing against Hannibal’s upper lip. Hannibal then placed a soft kiss over each of Will’s closed eyelids, causing Will to inhale quickly.

Hannibal stepped back, still holding Will’s face and whispered, “Anything and everything you’d like me to do to you, you cunning boy.”

***

In the sleepy aftermath of their exhausting and satiating evening, Hannibal and Will lounged in the study on the floor, in front of the fireplace. Hannibal had set out a platter with cheese, berries, crackers, and figs. Will was wrapped in a soft throw Hannibal had placed over his shoulders, while Hannibal was wearing some red and white silk pajama pants. 

“So should we move forward with the usual first date questions?” Will asked as he touched the edge of the serving platter, which reflected the flicker from the flames in the fireplace. “What do you do? Where are you from? What’s your sign? All of that good stuff...” 

Hannibal smiled and said, “Psychiatrist, Lithuania, Capricorn.”

“Psychiatrist?” Will laughed and shook his head. "Of course you are."

“Meaning?” Hannibal said as he took a blackberry and teased it into Will’s mouth.

“Meaning nothing,” Will said as he swallowed the berry. “I just...never mind. That’s interesting.”

“And you?”

“Me? Teacher, all over the place but mainly Louisiana, Cancer.”

“What is that you teach, Will?”

Will paused and then said, “Science?”

“Are you unsure?” Hannibal asked.

“No, I’m sure.”

“Well, that’s good for your students then.”

Will looked at Hannibal and reached out to stroke his hair, then changed the subject, “So tell me about your friend.”

Hannibal shook his head, “Ah, yes. Fredricka.”

“Is she always so…”

“Spirited?” Hannibal said.

“Well, I was going to say quantifiably bitchy but okay, we’ll go with spirited.”

Hannibal laughed, “It’s really just a facade. She’s actually quite sweet.”

Will looked at Hannibal incredulously.

“Deep, deep, deep down...on the rare occasion she chooses to be.”

Will smiled and said, “Well I suppose we all have that one friend we can’t explain but can’t be without. If you’re not sure who that friend is, odds are it's you.”

Hannibal studied Will for a moment and said, "Is that how you see yourself?”

“We all have that one oddball in our lives. Hello, I’m the oddball. The weirdo.”

“It's fine to be weird, but I don’t see you that way.”

“We just met.”

“I can see people quite clearly, for all that they are or are meant to be,” Hannibal said looking into Will’s eyes.

Will frowned, “That disconcerting, Doctor, but I suppose a useful talent in your profession. As long as you don’t try to psychoanalyze me, we’ll be just fine.”

“Duly noted,” Hannibal responded as he moved closer on his knees in front of Will and leaned in to kiss him. Will fell into the kiss, losing himself in Hannibal’s mouth, tongue and lips.

Will began to groan and in between heavy breaths, opened his arms to wrap them and the blanket around Hannibal. Hannibal continued to kiss Will but then stopped and said into Will’s mouth, “Lie down, Will.”

Will nodded, opened the blanket and slowly lowered himself back until he was stretched out, naked, on the rug, his cock quickly hardening. The crackling from the fireplace the only sound in the room.

“Good,” said Hannibal as he sat up to straddle Will.

The coolness of Hannibal’s silk pants rubbing on Will’s cock made him moan slightly, which in turn made Hannibal rotate and snap his hips into Will. 

“I’m never this comfortable with anyone,” Will said as he arched his back, and grabbed Hannibal, pulling him closer. “I don’t know what this…what this means. All I know is that I want it.”

Hannibal stroked Will's face and said, “I admire that you are intimate with your instincts, Will.” Hannibal leaned down to kiss him again and whispered, “Remarkable boy.”


	7. Curiosity and Self-Preservation

Hannibal awoke while Will was still sound asleep. He took a moment to look Will over, how serene his curly haired darling appeared. He felt compelled to kiss him on the forehead, so he did, then he quietly rose from the bed, taking his robe and exiting the bedroom.

He walked downstairs to the kitchen to get some coffee going and couldn’t help feeling especially chipper this morning. Will had proven to be charming indeed, positively delightful, in fact. He would definitely want to see more of him. He could even see himself with this person. What an odd sensation.

Once he had the coffee brewing, curiosity -- and self-preservation -- got the better of him. He walked to the entryway closet and reached for Will’s coat. Feeling the pockets, he found Will’s wallet inside. Hannibal pulled it out and saw his driver’s license. Darling awkward photo, of course. Wolf Trap, Virginia. A bit of a drive, but not impossible. A few credit cards, good. He then pulled out another card. It was a parking permit. Quantico? Hannibal stilled for a moment and looked up and around the room. He then rummaged through Will’s coat pockets and found an FBI badge. “What the ever loving fuck?” Hannibal uncharacteristically said.

***

Hannibal stood by the coffee machine waiting for the final drips. What trick does the universe intend to play on him now? An FBI agent? AN FBI AGENT? He couldn’t have been a simple college professor or a nice Montessori teacher? No, of course not.

Hannibal’s cell phone rang, and he rushed to the kitchen counter to pick it up.

“Fredricka?”

“Wakey wakey!” the voice on the other end said, “So?”

“Yes?”

“Did Old Navy spend the night?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And, I am afraid I rather like him.”

“And this is bad because? Aside from the retail obvious.”

“He works for the FBI.”

There was a beat of silence and then Freddie said, “Oh, Jesus Christ, Hanni. Please tell me you didn’t eat him!”

“No, I did not.”

“What the ever loving fuck? You sure know how to pick the winners -- oh, wait. I meant wieners.”

“Fredricka, that’s enough.”

“Well if you like him, here’s a novel idea -- how about you keep him around and out of your fucking freezer?”

“I intend to.”

“I hope he’s a vegetarian, for his sake.”

“I must go.”

“Okay. Bye, you sicko. Kisses!”

Hannibal put his phone back on the counter and sighed, looking toward the stairs. He began to assemble the coffee on a tray to take upstairs.

***

It was the ringing of his cell phone that drew Will out of his sleep. Will could hear it ringing from within his pants pocket. The question was, where exactly were his pants? He blinked a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes, and then followed the ringing. Pants? Pants? Pants! They were on the floor near the door to the en suite.

“M’ello?”

“Good morning, starshine!” It was Beverly.

“Hey…” Will said as he stretched.

“So what time did you get home last night? Do you need me to come get you so you can pick up your car -- and I can hear all the nasty deets?”

“Umm…”

“Holy shit, Graham! You’re not home yet, are you?”

“No.” he said as he felt a blush bloom on his cheeks.

“NICE,” Beverly laughed.

Will could hear Hannibal’s footsteps approaching, “I have to go. He’s coming.” And Will hung up as he heard Beverly’s protest.

Hannibal knocked gingerly on the door, before entering and was greeted by a fully naked Will, standing near the en suite bathroom, pants and cell phone in hand.

“Good morning,” Hannibal said.

Will grinned and said, “Good morning, yourself.”

Hannibal put down the tray on the ottoman and walked past Will, brushing against him, to enter the en suite. Hannibal came back out with a plush robe and handed it to him. Will put the robe on and said, “Thank you” leaning in to give Hannibal a quick kiss.

Hannibal led him by the hand and sat him down on the bed, then brought the coffee service back.

“How do you take your coffee, Will?”

“Black.”

He poured a cup and gave it to Will, and with head cocked watched Will take a sip, noticing how he briefly closed his eyes to savor the taste of his morning coffee. Hannibal took him all in: his curls, his enormous blue eyes, the turn of his nose, his full lips. _Yes_ , he thought, _I could definitely get used to this creature being around_.

“What?” Will asked with a smile. 

“Will, I enjoyed spending time with you.” 

Will frowned, “Uh -- _enjoyed_? Is this goodbye? Can I at least finish my coffee?” 

Hannibal laughed, “No, I apologize. What I mean is, I rather like you. Very much, actually, and would like to see you again.” 

Will’s face lit up, and then he reined it in so as not to appear too eager and said, “Oh?” He paused and took another sip of his coffee. 

“Is that all you have to say?” Hannibal asked, wondering if he had made a mistake. A new feeling, to be sure. 

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing that I like you, too.” Will said with a wink. 

And so it was that Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham had their first cup of coffee in bed together; Will feeling that initial excitement one feels at the start of any relationship when all the possibilities are waiting and everything has potential. 

Hannibal sat there and thought, _I am Count Hannibal Lecter, VIII. I have survived wind and fire and ice. I have slayed my enemies and rose victoriously among their ashes. Surely I can date this curly haired darling and have it all turn out well._

Will stroked Hannibal’s toes with his foot. _God, I hope so_ , Hannibal thought. 


	8. Signed HTC

Hannibal drove Will to Beverly’s apartment to pick up his car after they had brunch, two blow jobs, one hand job, and three orgasms together. It had been a productive morning.

“Turn right on 34th street, and her place is that white one on the right with the flag,” Will said as he gestured toward the road. Hannibal nodded and made the turn. The parking gods smiled on them as Hannibal found a spot right in front.

“Will your friend be expecting you?” Hannibal asked.

“Yes, I sent her a text before we left.” Will fidgeted in his seat and continued, “Look, you don’t have to come up and do that whole thing.”

“Whole thing?”

“Yeah, you know where my friend subtly, not so subtly, grills you. There’s awkward silence, half-assed attempts at small talk…”

“I am quite excellent with small talk actually, but if you’d rather I just leave then that is also fine.”

“Ha, yeah. I was thinking more like the awkwardness coming from _me_ , but yes. Thank you.”

They sat in the parked car in silence that was definitely _not_ awkward, and that really meant something Will. Hannibal briefly studied him through a sideways glance.

“I didn’t actually say it earlier but I'd like to see you again too, Hannibal. A lot, in fact,” Will finally said.

Hannibal smiled and said, “Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? I realize it is short notice, and you may already have plans.”

“Plans? No. My plans consisted of sleeping all weekend and tending to my dogs.”

“Dogs?”

“Oh. Yes, uh...I have seven, and they are all probably not very happy with me right about now.”

 _No, not a cat person_ , thought Hannibal.

“Yes, I’d like that very much.” Will continued, “What time?”

“Eight o’clock.”

“Can I bring anything? I can help cook if cooking dinner is not your thing?”

Hannibal smiled, “No need, I’ll be hosting you and don’t worry, Will. Dinner is very much ‘my thing.’”

“Then I’ll see you at eight.” Will leaned over to kiss Hannibal who immediately pushed into the kiss, as Will sucked Hannibal’s lower lip into his mouth. Hannibal’s breathing began to speed up and his fingers reached into Will’s hair. Will pulled away and said, “Okay, I think I should go or else I’ll never leave.”

Hannibal licked his lips, and slowly wiped Will’s with his thumb “Very well," he said. “Although, it would not be such a terrible thing should you choose to stay here longer.”

Will grinned and then unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the car as he said, “Eight o’clock.” Hannibal nodded and watched Will walk to the apartment building’s front door.

“Hannibal, whatever are you doing?” he asked himself as he looked into his rearview mirror. 

***

Will ran up Beverly’s stairs and barely had time to knock as she was pulling the door open. “Get in here you little scamp, and tell me everything.” Will laughed as Beverly pressed a cup of tea into his hand and led him to the couch.

“I really can’t stay long,” Will said. “I’m sure the pack has already pissed and pooped me out of house and home.”

“Damn it, pack! Why are you all such gossip squashers? Come on, another thirty minutes won’t kill them or you. The damage is done, bud.”

*

Hannibal dialed Freddie’s number through the Bentley’s Bluetooth connection.

“Freddie’s House of Humiliation and Pain,” her voice said coming through the car’s speakers. “How may I assist you?”

“I just left the curly haired darling at the home of his friend,” Hannibal said.

“A chauffeur now, are you? Isn’t that sweet? Oh no, wait. I meant sad.”

“So. The situation is…”

“Yeah?”

“Complicated.”

“You don’t fucking say, Doctor Doom.”

*

“Christ, you should see his house,” Will said and then took an Oreo from the plate on the coffee table.

“Oooo! Is it a mess, like one of those people on Hoarders?” Bev asked as she dunked her cookie.

“God no. It looks like it could be featured in _Architectural Digest_ or something.”

“Whoa. So is he loaded?”

“He’s a shrink and he drives a goddamn Bentley.”

“I don’t know what that means. Is that expensive?”

“They start at $180,000.”

“Holy baloney! Do _you_ know what that means?” Beverly said with a smile.

“No,” Will replied with a furrowed brow.

Beverly stood from the couch and began to dance, swaying her hips, “You’ve got yourself a sugar daddy. Bow chika bow wow!”

“Shut up,” Will said as he rubbed his face with one hand.

Beverly pumped her hips in front of Will’s face, who then began to laugh.

*

“So let’s have some real talk here, Hanni. I know you said this morning you did -- but I figured it was just post sex brain talking. Do you really like him? Are you actually going to slum it?”

“Slum it? He teaches at Quantico, has his own home, is bright and very beautiful. How is that slumming it?”

“I don’t know? He just doesn’t seem your type. You should be with someone who is up to your standards.”

“My standards? Fredricka, please. I suppose you mean like that dullard you set me up with?”

“Look, you have your Rolodex and I have mine. I’ll have you know that Dr. Chilton is a highly sought after bachelor with both the ladies and the gentlemen.”

“That man was so full of himself, it was unbearable. Mind you, this is coming from me. I’m practically a textbook narcissist,” Hannibal said.

*

“So have you told him about your special snowflakedness?”

“Absolutely not. He’s a psychiatrist; I don’t need him interested in me for that reason. Plus, we just met.”

“And yet he’s already made you blow your load multiple times,” Beverly added with a salacious grin and continued, “Will, I know you and I can tell you like him. You really like him. It’s not like you to let your guard down. Definitely not like you to have a one-night stand and then actually want to see that person the very next day. You don’t even want to see me all that often outside of work, and you adore me,” Beverly said as she batted her eyelashes and then shoved Will in the arm.

“As far as he’s concerned, I just teach. That’s all,” Will said.

“If he’s a good shrink, I’m sure he’ll probably figure something out. You can’t hide your empathic goodness forever.”

“Like I said, I just teach.”

“Well, that’s a healthy start to any dating thing: lies, lies and more lies. At least the sex was good, right?”

Will blushed and took another sip of tea. Beverly got up and patted him on the shoulder as she walked to the kitchen.

“You want a refill?”

Will was then deep in thought thinking about Bev’s words. Of course he’d find out. Hannibal was observant, brilliant, sweet and sexy as fuck. 

“Do you?”

“Oh, uh...yeah, sure,” Will responded.

Shit, he’d have to tell Hannibal about his empathy sooner or later. He may as well do it tonight.

*

“There’s really no point in continuing this conversation if you aren’t really interested in Old Navy. So, are you?” Freddie said.

“I have invited Will over for dinner tonight.”

“You what?”

“Dinner, this evening.”

“Okay, this is serious. You really do like this mouse.”

Hannibal thought about Will and instantly a smile appeared on his face. “Yes.”

He could hear Freddie sigh. “Well then, you have some thinking to do, don’t you? It’s not like you to admit you like someone so quickly. You know, I should start a website chronicling all of this. I can tattle all of your secrets and crimes of passion.”

Hannibal laughs, “I do not doubt you’d have the talent for that kind of ‘journalism.’”

He could hear Freddie laugh through the speakers as she said, “Dear Abby, I’ve nabbed myself a new boy toy but we have different views on life. I like him and golly gee, he really likes me but he’d be shocked to learn about my culinary proclivities”

Hannibal turned right, and then merged lanes as Freddie continued, “Should I come clean, or break it off? What’s a guy to do? Signed HTC.”

“HTC?”

“Hannibal the Canni---”

“And I am hanging up now,” Hannibal said and then pressed disconnect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow which includes more sexy times for all you pervs. ;)
> 
> Edited to add: Sadly, I can't. I have the flu and am in dire need of silkie chicken soup. I feel like hell. :P


	9. Attempt at a Stare Down

After changing his shirt three times, lint-rolling his pants twice, and calling Beverly to talk him through the hair wax thing, Will was ready to drive to Hannibal’s. Seeing no sense in being coy or shy, Will packed an overnight bag as well and had arranged for the dog sitter to come by in the morning. 

He took the 270 instead of 95, and much to his surprise arrived a bit early. Promptness was one of the few Graham traits he actually took pride in, but decided to wait in his car. His Spidey-senses were tingling and he felt that in Hannibal’s eyes being too early was just as bad as being too late. So, he waited.

Hannibal had noticed the car’s headlights when Will pulled up, and he peered outside from his kitchen window to find Will sitting in his Volvo, only he wasn’t exiting the car. Will’s little head just stayed put. Hannibal looked at his watch and noticed it was 7:50 p.m.

“Manners, what manners,” Hannibal said to himself as he reached for his phone and called Will. Hannibal could see the faint light from Will’s cell phone shine on his face from below.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Will.”

He could see Will’s mouth form a smile, and Hannibal reciprocated from within his kitchen.

“I was wondering how traffic was treating you? Are you almost here?” Hannibal said. 

“Oh? Uh...yes. About 10 minutes away.” Hannibal could see Will squirm in his seat.

“I hope you have an adventurous palate. I’ve made several small plates for us tonight.”

“How small are they?” Will asked with a furrowed brow and a sense of déjà vu.

Hannibal smirked, “I’ve made some blood sausage with saffron and butter beans, lung a la Basquaise, loin with tuna sauce, and tongue en papillote with chanterelle mushrooms.”

“Wow. It sounds delicious,” Will said as he shrugged his shoulders and scratched his head wondering what the hell most of those things were. Hannibal chuckled softly taking in all of Will’s body language through the window.

“And for dessert I’ve made blood and cocoa pudding with Chantilly cream,” Hannibal said watching Will’s reaction intently.

“Blood and cocoa pudding, you say?” Will threw his right hand up in surrender.

Hannibal covered his mouth to muffle his laughter and said, “Yes, it is very tasty.”

Hannibal walked out the back door and continued, “The dessert is called sanguinaccio dolce and it is made with pig’s blood.” He quickly rounded the house, while still talking and snuck up behind Will’s car and knocked suddenly on his driver side window. Startled, Will threw his phone up in the air and then covered his face with both hands.

“Actually, I made osso buco, roasted asparagus, and a tropical fruit bread pudding,” Hannibal said with a huge smile.

Will uncovered his face with pure mortification, and smiled softly as he said from within his car, “Christ. Hello, Hannibal.”

***

Hannibal had Will pressed against the wall the moment they walked through the front door. Will’s ragged breath was all the encouragement Hannibal needed to continue probing Will’s mouth with deep, hard kisses.

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?’ Will asked as he pulled away briefly from Hannibal.

“I must admit,” Hannibal said as he licked Will’s ear, “You were so very darling sitting in the car, not wanting to be early, I could not resist.”

Will groaned as Hannibal bit his earlobe, his arms hanging helplessly at his side. Hannibal separated from Will, regained composure, then caged Will in between his arms and said, “It is probably best to continue this later, after dinner.”

“Best and more convenient aren’t synonyms, Doctor,” Will said as took off his jacket and handed it to Hannibal.

“Yes, you are correct,” Hannibal said with a smile. “Care for a glass of wine?”

***

“Dinner will be served in five minutes. Would you like to wait in the dining room?” Hannibal said as he pulled a pan of roasted asparagus out of the oven. 

Will drank his wine standing in the kitchen watching Hannibal plate. Hannibal moved as though he was working through some complex piece of choreography and this fascinated Will. Hannibal with his sleeves rolled up and forearms bared, showed a deep strength that made Will begin to feel a tightness in his chest, and pants.

“Will?”

“What? Oh. No, I’ll stay here and watch. Watch you work, I mean, if you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all,” Hannibal said as he wiped his hands on a dishtowel that was hanging from his apron.

“So, I feel like an ass offering to help when cooking dinner is clearly your thing.”

“The culinary arts became a source of escape for me after I stopped being a surgeon,” Hannibal said as he paused for a moment to contemplate his work.

“Why did you switch to psychiatry? And food?” Will asked.

“I killed someone. More accurately, I couldn’t save someone but it felt as though I killed them.”

“You were a surgeon,” Will said quietly, “It was bound to happen.”

“It happened one time too many, so I transferred my passion for anatomy into the culinary arts. And now I fix minds instead of bodies and no one’s died as a result of my therapy.”

Will could sense Hannibal’s relief, and this touched him.

Hannibal took off his apron, carried both plates and said, “Shall we move to the dining room?”

***

Will was in the middle retelling the story of how he met Buster, which Hannibal had found rather charming, when the doorbell rang.

“Are you expecting someone?” Will said.

“No, I am not. Excuse me,” Hannibal said as he rose from the table.

He opened the door to find Freddie standing there with a bottle of wine and a huge smile.

“Fredricka?”

“Am I interrupting?” she said as she handed Hannibal the wine, quickly threw her coat down on a chair, and headed straight to the dining room before Hannibal could intervene. _Oh, shit_ were the only words that crossed Will’s mind as he saw the ginger walk in as if she owned the place.

Hannibal quickly caught up with her and said, “Fredricka, what are you doing here?”

“You mentioned that you were having company over for dinner tonight,” she said as she sat down.

Hannibal said, “Well yes, but --”

“I thought I was invited as well. Was I not invited?” she asked with big eyes looking at Hannibal then turning to face Will. “Oh! I didn’t see you there. I’m sorry. Hello, Bill is it?”

Will thought, _So, that’s how it’s going to be_ , “No, it’s Will actually,” and gave her a dazzling smile.

Hannibal stood there looking at them both, knowing that the only way he could move forward with Will without drama was for Freddie to get whatever _this_ was out of her system. Will caught Hannibal’s eye and gave him a subtle nod. Hannibal had no doubts Will could handle himself _and_ her, so sighing in resignation he excused himself to get a plate for Freddie. 

The moment Hannibal left the room, Will and Freddie began their sizing up of each other in earnest. Out in the wild, a mongoose’s greatest strength is its agility as well as its resistance to snake venom. Freddie, although she was a glorious pit viper underestimated her opponent, unaware that the mongoose before her could be just as venomous and ruthless as she was. It was his design, after all.

“You knew my name wasn’t really Bill,” he said.

“I knew it was something that rhymed with shrill...and ended in _ill_ ,” she said without batting an eye.

"Is this your attempt at a stare down? Are you going to try to stop something, is that it?” Will said calmly as he swirled his wine in the glass.

"What exactly do you think is going to happen here?" Freddie asked, "You're in over your head, Old Navy. You'll never know him like I do." 

"That may be true right now, but give it time. I’ve been with him in ways you'll never be," and with that Will took a slow sip of his wine, eyes on Freddie.

“You know we kissed once. Did he tell you that?" Freddie said.

"Just once? How sad for you,” Will volleyed back.

Freddie almost admired this little mouse -- almost -- and folding her arms in front of her chest she examined her opponent more closely.

Will grinned and said, “So if this is all you got, I have to tell you I am not impressed nor backing down.”

Freddie smiled, leaned over and took Will’s wine glass from his hands, and just before she drank a sip said, “Enjoy your visit. It’ll be brief.”

***

“So how did you and Hannibal meet?” Will asked.

Hannibal smiled and said, “It was at a sample sale. I never attend those dreadful things but curiosity got the better of me, and so I went. Soon Fredricka and I were arguing over the same cashmere scarf,” Hannibal said.

“I figured Hanni was used to getting his way with everything and thought, ‘Not this time, gorgeous,’ so I fought him for it."

“Yes! She certainly did,” Hannibal laughed.

Will watched their camaraderie with unease. 

“I’m sure he was used to getting whatever he wanted but I wanted that scarf more, and it was marked down 50%.”

“So who ended up with the scarf?” Will asked as he watched them both laugh.

“Fredricka did,” Hannibal replied.

“And I got him to pay for it,” she continued to laugh and put her hand over Hannibal’s.

“She was very persuasive. I believe her exact words were, ‘Listen, you European dandy, you can easily afford to buy this for me.”

It was clear to Will that if he wanted whatever he had forming with Hannibal to continue, he was going to have to play nice with Freddie.

“So Will, what is it that you do again?” Freddie asked as she quickly shot a look at Hannibal and then back to Will.

Hannibal jumped in and said, “Will is a teacher,” and took another bite of veal. 

“A teacher? That’s cute. Elementary school?” Freddie said as she speared an asparagus with her fork.

Will thought this was probably the best time to come clean -- and at least he’d shut Freddie up.

“Actually, I teach forensics at the FBI academy,” Will said.

“The FBI? Fascinating,” Freddie said.

“Hannibal and I have quite a bit in common when it comes to our jobs, in fact. I have to get into people’s heads as well.”

“How so?” Hannibal asked.

“Well, I also work as a criminal profiler at the Behavioral Science Unit.”

Freddie could barely control her glee as she thought _Stick a fork in this dude, he is done._ “Really?” she said.

“A profiler? That is quite interesting, Will,” Hannibal said without any change in his expression.

“Yes, the head of the department tells me I have quite a knack for the monsters, too.”

“The monsters?” Freddie said with absolute fucking joy.

“Yes, unfortunately, I can really get into their heads...see what they see. Feel what they may feel. This means my thoughts are often not tasty -- unlike this dinner,” Will said trying to add some levity and feeling well about having gotten that off his chest.

Hannibal looked at Will as he spoke. He looked at him with what seemed to be a different set of eyes, as if it were the first time he was truly seeing this magnificent creature before him. Will could take the point of view of anyone, relate to it, feel it. How had Hannibal missed that before? 

And so it was that Will Graham’s fate was sealed. The only way Hannibal could ever leave his side now would be through death, because what better aphrodisiac is there in the entire world than to be seen, understood, and known?

Hannibal gave Will a most sincere look, gazing deeply into his eyes and in turn Will felt a true serenity that had been missing from his life for quite some time. He didn’t know why, or how, but Hannibal Lecter was quickly feeling like _home_.

 _Perfect. Old Navy is pretty much dunzo_ , Freddie thought, until she looked at Hannibal and saw how utterly wrong she was.

“If you’ll pardon me for one moment, I just want to check on dessert,” Hannibal said as he got up and walked to the kitchen hurriedly to avoid giving away just how overwhelmed he had become at his realization.

Will sat looking at Freddie with a perfect poker face, and then raised an eyebrow waiting for her to make a move.

“Look, he’s special and I really care for him.”

Will huffed.

“No, not like that you plum,” then she said softly, “What I am saying is that you better not fuck him over.”

“I don’t plan on it.”

Freddie shot Will a skeptical glance and said, “Trust me when I say that if you break his heart, you’ll be sorry. It will be...messy. His is not a heart you can break.”


	10. There is No in Between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, but there will be another this weekend.

Freddie decided she need not stay for dessert. “Old Navy and gentleman, it’s been a slice but I’m afraid I’ll have to pass on dessert.”

“Bread pudding,” Hannibal said.

“Can I get it to-go?” she asked.

“This is not a drive-through, Fredricka,” Hannibal chided.

“You two don’t really want me hanging around any longer. Give me my damn doggie bag and you can get to sucking face and eating dessert off each other’s butts or whatever it is you have planned.”

Hannibal stared at Freddie for a moment then jumped up and said, “Let me get that ready for you.”

***

Hannibal and Will stood outside the front door, waving good-bye to Freddie as she began to pull out of the driveway. Hannibal had his arm around Will, and Will nestled his head on Hannibal’s chest with the biggest shit eating grin as he waved at Freddie.

“Drive safe, Freddie,” Will called out raising an eyebrow at her.

“Sure thing,” she said with a brilliant smile while she muttered, “You little shit,” and waved once more before driving off.

After Freddie left, Will and Hannibal cleared the kitchen together. The normalcy and domesticity of it all was something new for both men as each had lived alone so long, needing nothing from anyone or the outside world. 

“She _really_ doesn't like me, does she?” Will said.

“I don’t think she has a choice but to accept you,” Hannibal responded.

“Well I don’t care if she loathes me as long as she doesn’t sabotage any more dates,” Will said with a laugh.

“She actually does mean well, Will. And it was her idea to take dessert home with her.”

Will dried a dish and said, “I know we just met, but I can see how important she is to you. I’m sure we’ll get along...eventually.”

Hannibal wiped the counter and moved sideways, closer and closer toward Will until they were shoulder to shoulder. Hannibal went through the motions of continuing to wipe the counter, and Will exhaled softly leaning into him.

“Eventually. That means you intend to be a more permanent fixture in my life?” Hannibal asked.

Will kept working on the long-dried dish, not wanting to look up because of the blush betraying all of his feelings. “Yes,” he whispered, and then finally turned to look at Hannibal.

***

**TWELVE WEEKS LATER...**

The need for any Chesapeake ripping had seem to leave Hannibal during the last three months. Perhaps it was the occupation of time with Will, or perhaps it was the sensation of love that had made its way throughout his being, whatever it was, most of his moments were filled with Will Graham and murder had been the furthest thing from Hannibal's mind. With the relationship progressing as it was, even Freddie had warmed slightly to the idea of his relationship with Will.

“If you’re really serious about him you know what you have to do, don’t you?” Freddie said one day over a plate of flan. It was a new recipe Hannibal was trying out.

“Are you suggesting I tell him about all my hobbies?”

“No, you goof. Take him shopping for fuck’s sake.”

Hannibal smiled, “I love his aesthetic. It is very Will and I would not want to change anything about it -- or him.”

Freddie shot Hannibal a skeptical glance. “Well I guess we all have our kinks, don’t we? What’s in this? It doesn’t taste like regular flan?”

“There’s a special secret ingredient.”

Freddie stilled her movements, “Oh Jesus. Who is in here, you ass?”

Hannibal laughed, “No need to worry Fredricka. I assure you there isn’t a Who in there.”

Freddie looked relieved and said, “Good. Well, it’s good --whatever is in there.”

Hannibal gave her an impish grin.

“Speaking of the other thing, I’ve noticed you’ve been very quiet on that front,” Freddie said digging into another spoonful.

“I suppose I have been happy, so I currently do not have a need for my other sources of entertainment.”

“So is that what Old Navy is? A source of entertainment?”

“No,” Hannibal quickly replied.

Freddie stared at him for a moment, “I see…” she said and put her spoon down. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

“Love?”

“And don’t start getting all metaphorical and dark with me -- either you love him or you don’t. There is no in between, Doctor Doom.”

Hannibal hummed in agreement, and took a sip of wine.

“Do I feel a daily stab of hunger for him and find nourishment at the very sight of Will? Yes.” 

Freddie said, “But does he ache for you?” She then rolled her eyes and said, “God. Where did that come from? Your shit is rubbing off on me, you damn weirdo.”


	11. In a Desperate Tizzy

On the nights Hannibal wasn’t spending at Will’s, Will was at Hannibal’s. They had become inseparable, and neither had felt any desire to balk at the change this had brought into their lives. 

Everyone at the Bureau had noticed a change in Will. He was decidedly less surly, and once in awhile would even smile (somewhat) at people. Progress! Hannibal had changed as well. It seemed that being in love -- or something a lot like it -- was indeed curbing his appetite in more ways than one.

At work, Will had been busy the past few weeks with the Minnesota Shrike case. Four victims had decidedly established a pattern; each of the young women were similar in look and build. Their lives ended senselessly. This had sent Jack Crawford in a desperate tizzy, barking at everyone in their department that the Shrike had to be caught. Will bore most of the brunt. And it was during a quiet Saturday morning in Wolf Trap that Jack made his presence felt, much to Hannibal’s chagrin.

Hannibal had rolled Will onto his stomach on the bed and began to cover him with the softest of kisses starting at the nape of the neck and working his way down, slowly. Will’s face transformed into a landscape of desire and mirth as the ticklish kisses Hannibal placed on his body continued. A kiss on each shoulder blade, one on his spine, another on his lower back -- every kiss causing Will to sigh gently. His sighs were interrupted, however, by the very rude phone which had the audacity to ring at this most inopportune moment.

“Damn it,” Will said as Hannibal quickly replied, in between kisses, “Do not answer that. Ignore it, Will.”

“No one in their right mind would be calling right now, unless it were important,” Will said.

Moving lower still, Hannibal bit into one of Will’s cheeks and said, “And this is not? I should be feeling offended, quite frankly.”

“Who am I to offend the great Dr. Hannibal Lecter?”

“You are everything -- but I appreciate the sentiment, so continue to humor me,” Hannibal said as he began to part Will’s cheeks, “...and do not answer.”

Will craned his neck to look back at Hannibal with hooded eyes, and smiled as Hannibal began to tease his opening with a gentle finger. Will groaned and shoved his face against his pillow as Hannibal leaned in to press his tongue into the hot fleshy pink ring.

A text beep came out of Will’s phone.

“Ignore it,” Hannibal said once again as he rubbed Will’s opening with a wet thumb.

Will spread his legs wider and purred, “Okayyy…”

Another beep, followed immediately by another.

Hannibal refusing to compete with technology, roughly licked Will and pushed his tongue inside causing Will to immediately lift his thighs off the bed to meet Hannibal’s mouth.

Stubborn phone rang once more.

“Fuck!” Will exclaimed as the phone refused to respect Will and Hannibal’s time together.

Hannibal stopped and said, “You should either turn that wretched thing off, or answer and be done with it.”

Will leaned over to the nightstand to pick up his phone, and saw that it had been Jack who texted and called. He sat up and dialed Jack’s number knowing his peaceful Saturday morning was about to come to an end.

***

Jack Crawford was well aware of the kind of gift he had on his hands. Frederick Chilton had gladly rubber stamped Will for field work after Alana Bloom had adamantly declined. The gift of Will’s empathy was the closer for many cases that had long eluded Crawford’s department in the Bureau. Jack knew Will hated every second of the work, absolutely hated it, and while he felt somewhat protective of the empath, he quickly learned to put those feelings aside for the greater good and kept making Will do the work.

“Look at it, Will. Tell me what you see.” Jack demanded.

“He feels...afraid. He is desperate. He’s going to lose someone.” Will looked at the body before him and continued, “He approached Sarah Olsen in her backyard from behind, and he then fractured her spine. Once she was down, he gutted her with a hunting knife.”

“What else?” Jack asked.

“He’ll do it again.”

“And?”

“And that’s all, Jack.”

“Tell me what else -- just do your job!”

“That’s all!” Will said, his body trembling.

Beverly stood nearby wanting to intervene, seeing the exhaustion on Will’s face. Will turned to look at her and shook his head.

Jack exhaled loudly and said, “Fine. I expect a more detailed report on my desk tomorrow morning.”

Jacked stormed off as Zeller and Price exchanged worried glances.

“You all right, Graham?” Zeller asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Will said as he ran his fingers through his hair and walked off to examine more of the scene.

“Jack pushes him too hard,” Beverly said softly to Price.

“Good luck telling Jack that,” Price said and then motioned toward Will, “You should go check on him.” 

Will sat on a bench in the Olsen backyard, and looked at the swing set Sarah had probably played with as a child, and then buried his face in both hands. Beverly walked up toward him making sure to be noisy so as not to startle him. “Hey there, little buddy,” she said.

Will looked up and huffed, “I’m not a dog, Bev.”

“Yeah, well you’re my cute puppy. Who’s a good boy?” she said while she rubbed his head.

“Knock it off, Katz.” Will said with equal parts annoyance and laughter.

“Don’t you dare ‘Katz’ me, Graham,” she said with a smile. She looked him over carefully and said, “Dude, you need some time off.”

“Tell me about it,” Will said as he unconsciously hugged himself, rocking back and forth slightly.

“Can’t you ask Mr. Man to take you somewhere?”

“He’s busy with patients. It’s not like he can just take off whenever he feels like.”

“Pssh! For your baby blues, I’m sure all you have to do is say _where_ and he’ll say _when_.”

Zeller walked by carrying a box of evidence and added, “Graham, you look like shit. Have your millionaire sugar daddy take you somewhere, for crying out loud.”

“Look,” Beverly said, “Crawford’s been kind of an ass to you lately -- I’m sure he’s feeling guilty as hell about it, too. If you say you need a few days off to recharge he’ll say yes.”

Will shrugged. 

“Things are pretty quiet otherwise,” she continued, “Hell, even the damn Ripper seems to be out of commission. Take a few days, Graham.”

Will looked at her and agreed and then thought to himself, _Where did the Ripper run off to?_


	12. Rude No More

A steady trickle of blood slowly turned into a tiny stream which then fed into a groove in a grassy clearing deep in the Greenbelt Forest Preserve. Its source had been a Baltimore tailor whom had ruined a most beloved suit. The damage to the suit had not been the reason for the tailor’s untimely demise, however, but rather his lack of remorse and outright snide shown to the suit’s owner. 

“Well, I am certain you can afford to miss _one_ suit,” he dismissed haughtily. Indeed.

The tailor was now propped onto the trunk of a white oak tree, entrails removed, in their place the tailor’s own spools of thread, yards of ribbon, and measuring tape; in the ocular orbits, pinking shears. Mouth sewn shut in an elaborate cross-stitch. A grotesque mockery of his profession. A spectacle among the trees for everyone to see. Rude no more. 

***

Will was packing the last of his things into the small Tumi suitcase Hannibal had purchased for him. 

“My overnight duffel bag will work just fine, Hannibal. I don’t need a $700 suitcase.” 

“Nonsense. You need something sturdier than a knapsack. It will make me happy to buy this for you.” Hannibal picked up a toiletries bag from the table, looked at it once and put it back down. “Do you not want me to be happy?”

“I don’t want blatant manipulation, that’s what I don’t want,” Will said as spun the suitcase around 360 degrees.

“Well then how about a boyfriend that is _extremely_ happy?” Hannibal said with a big smile.

“Hmmm...I’d say you’re more of a _man_ friend than boyfriend,” Will said flirtatiously.

Hannibal purred, “Is that so,” as he leaned in closer, face inches from Will’s.

Will shook his head, and grinned as he remembered making out with Hannibal in the Tumi store with enough zeal to have the salesperson clear his throat to remind them they were not, in fact, alone.

His phone ringing brought him back to reality.

He answered without checking to see who it was, “Graham.”

“It’s Crawford. I’m going to need you to come into the office. We think we have another Ripper victim.”

Will rubbed his face, “I’m just about to go out of town, Jack.”

“Not anymore. Get here now.” The slam of the phone let Will know that noncompliance wasn’t an option. So close. He was almost out of there.

He dialed Hannibal’s number. Hannibal picked up on the first ring, “Will.” He could hear Hannibal’s smile through the line. “I was just thinking about you. Are you almost done packing?”

Will sighed, “I just got a call from work. I...have to go in.”

“Did you tell them you were about to leave the country?” Hannibal tried his best not to sound exasperated.

“I did, but I don’t have a choice,” Will explained, as he ran his hand over the suitcase.

“You always have a choice, Will.”

“Right...I’m not sure how long it will take. Maybe half the day, can we still leave late tonight?”

“I was planning on having you again and again on the beach by tonight. I suppose I can make some arrangements to make that still happen,” Hannibal said.

“Thanks. I know this is inconvenient, so I appreciate it. I’ll call you when I know more. Bye.”

Hannibal stood against the kitchen counter tapping his phone against his cheek, incensed at his own poor execution. The body wasn’t supposed to be discovered until he and Will were both well out of the country. The fact that it was found so quickly put a wrench in his entire plan. He’d imagined it going quite differently: Jack would call Will, Will would say he couldn’t come in, Jack would tirade and give Will an ultimatum. Hannibal, in turn, would persuade Will to quit. Multiple problems solved -- no more exhausted Will, Will would have more time available to spend with Hannibal, no more job to interrupt them at the most inopportune of times, and no more FBI connection. 

Hannibal rarely second guessed himself but now he was cursing his overreaction with the tailor. Wait? Did he just say he had overreacted? How interesting. Interesting indeed. He dialed Fredricka’s number as he needed a rational someone to discuss this with. Wait? Did he just say Freddie was rational? Hannibal shrugged. This day was turning into something else all together.

***

Hannibal sat on the white Barcelona chair, mind elsewhere, while Freddie perused one of the racks at Ruth Shaw. She held up a black and white Rag and Bone dress and said, “What about this one?”

“Hmmm...yes. It’s lovely,” Hannibal responded.

“Really? Because before this one I showed you a horrific Moschino and your response was, ‘Yes, it’s lovely.’” Freddie said in an exaggerated Lithuanian accent.

“I apologize, Fredricka. You are right, I am not really here at this moment,” Hannibal said with a shrug.

Freddie walked over and plopped herself down on the chair next to his, “What’s up, buttercup? Old Navy got you down? I know you have something on your mind, because you would not have let me drag you all the way out here if you were 100% in your senses.”

Hannibal was about to say something when the salesperson walked by and said, “Would you like me to get a fitting room going for you?”

Freddie looked at Hannibal expectedly. He nodded.

“Yes, my daddy over here said he’ll buy me whatever I want because I’ve been so good. Such a good girl,” she purred while she stroked his face. “Isn’t that right, daddy?” 

Hannibal’s eyes opened wide, taken off guard. The salesperson turned bright red and said, “Very well, then. This way, please.” Freddie grinned and winked at Hannibal as she got up and walked toward the fitting rooms.

***

Freddie and Hannibal got a table at Charleston for a late lunch. Freddie was in a great mood because of the lovely shopping bags in the Bentley’s trunk and because she knew she was about to get some good Old Navy gossip.

“What do you want to drink? Something red or something white?” Hannibal asked.

“How about something pink?”

“A bottle of the Dom Ruinart brut rosé, please,” Hannibal said to the waiter.

Once the waiter was out of earshot, Freddie leaned in ever so slightly and asked, “So what’s the trouble in paradise? What did he wear now? Did he bring McDonald’s into bed?”

Hannibal looked left and then right and whispered, “I may have been impulsive with my hobby and now it has delayed our trip to St. Maarten.”

Freddie raised an eyebrow. “You hear the words coming out of your mouth, right? I mean, do you actually hear them, see them floating off into space, making their way into my ears? Your hobby. So who was it? Was it the suit guy?”

Hannibal gave a quick nod.

“So you’re mainly regretting that your shenanigans have postponed your bonefest getaway, and not that you shuffled off some poor schmo’s mortal coil?”

“I overestimated Will’s superior. He has a stronger hold over Will than I suspected. We should have been on the beach by now, instead --”

“Instead poor Old Navy is cleaning up your messy shitshow.”

Hannibal shrugged and nodded once more.

“Okay, let me ask you this. If you knew he might be called in to your ‘display’ then why did you do it? Couldn’t you have waited till you got back?”

“As I said, I may have been impulsive. And quite frankly, I thought it would take them longer to find it.”

“Hubris, thy name is Hannibal. So what, they find him and then what? You know Old Navy would be on the next plane back.”

“I thought maybe I could persuade him to quit?”

“Wow. You must be an incredible lay,” Freddie said as the waiter came back with their Dom Ruinart in a champagne bucket. Hannibal and Freddie then both stared at each other, faces stilled and neutral, neither saying a word. The waiter blushed and awkwardly opened the bottle as Freddie and Hannibal continued to stare, playing their own warped version of a staring contest. As the waiter poured their rosé, Hannibal was the first to break, and smiled. He took a sip from his flute and calmly said to Freddie, “I am.” They both then broke into uncontrolled laughter as the waiter exited quickly.


	13. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, yeah. I know. I last updated this May 8, 2016. I have no excuse, really. But I put together an ending. Yay?

Hannibal remained quiet during most of the drive home from lunch. While Freddie usually used this sort of opportunity to regale Hannibal with stories of her latest adventures, this time she merely studied him.

“What are you thinking about, pumpkin?” Freddie asked as she booped Hannibal’s nose. Hannibal smiled warmly. Freddie continued and said,”You know I don’t have to ask _who_ because that answer is obvious. So again, _what_ are you thinking about?”

Hannibal pulled up in front of Freddie’s place and put the Bentley in park. “So... I am thinking of perhaps changing my _hobbies_?”

Freddie crinkled her nose. “You’re not going to collect Fabergé eggs anymore?”

Hannibal exhaled. “No. My other hobbies.”

Freddie thought for a moment and Hannibal watched as realization set into her face.

“Oh. Oh, shit. No way? Wow.” 

“Yes, way,” Hannibal replied.

“Exactly how big is Old Navy’s dick, anyway?”

* * *

 **Author’s Note:**  
_Okay, people -- let’s be real. I’m never going to finish this fic. I’m sorry! But I will go ahead and give you a bullet point list of what I was planning on doing._

 

  * Hannibal decides to mend his ways, because he loves Will and he thinks he can cut his murdering ways cold turkey.



 

  * Will and Hanni go on vacay and this convinces Hannibal that Will is worth the sacrifice -- despite all the free-range rude out there.



 

  * Everything is cool for a while.



 

  * Bev and Freddie start hanging out. Bev seems happy, they’re just friends but it could lead to more. Who knows?



 

  * Hannibal, while happy and in love with Will, still misses his old ways. And it starts to show. He becomes a bit withdrawn, less peppy. Will begins to notice and thinks Hannibal might want to break up with him.



 

  * Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Abel Gideon pretends to be The Ripper for shits and giggles. He kinda figured out that Hannibal was The Ripper, but said, “Fuck it. I’m The Ripper now. YOLO!” Of course, being the idiot self-centered jerk that he is, he also thinks that, like Highlander, There Can Only Be One. So he decides to kill Hannibal Lecter.



 

  * Abel kidnaps Freddie and Will while they are out one day. (Will asks Freddie for some fashion advice to take Hanners to a romantic dinner. She obliges because her day has come and she can finally give that loser the makeover he sorely needs.)



 

  * Hannibal finds them, murders Abel, and saves his best friend and his lover.



 

  * Will puts two and two together in the aftermath.



 

  * They break up. Will tells Hannibal that, against his better judgment, he is not going to turn him into the FBI. That this goes against everything he stands for, but that he loves Hannibal. So he’ll let him go. On the condition that he never kills again.



 

  * Hannibal agrees and they separate.



 

  * Of course, they are miserable.



 

  * By then, Bev and Freddie hook up and become an item. They try to cheer up Hannibal and Will (Bev doesn’t know the truth, obvs) but Will says there is no use.



 

  * One day on his way home, some assbutt hits Winston with his car. Will manages to see the driver and car, but can’t get the plates.



 

  * Winston is hurt really bad and Will frantically calls Hannibal. Hannibal meets Will at the vet. Winston is going to be okay (poor baby has broken bones, a lacerated liver, but overall he’ll be fine.)



 

  * Will is so pissed off. He tells Hannibal what happens and how he’s just glad that Winston is okay.



 

  * Will asks Hannibal how he’s doing and Hannibal says as okay as could be expected, which means not okay at all.



Will looked at Hannibal and was struck by how much he missed him. He knew he missed him, but seeing Hannibal standing in front of him-- smelling Hannibal and feeling his warmth, Will felt a deep longing as well as a profound sense of loss.

Hannibal took a step closer to Will. “Will… I….”

Will felt his breath hitch, as he inched even closer still. Then Will broke free from his momentary spell. “Hannibal, I think you should go. Thanks for coming.”

Hannibal blinked. “Yes, of course.” He cleared his throat and said, “I wish Winston a speedy recovery.” He then gave Will a quick nod and walked out of the reception area and out the door.

 

  * One evening, Will is at home and changing Winston’s bandages as the other dogs watch and happily bark and frolic and the doorbell rings.



 

  * Will walks out and sees a car driving away. He can’t quite make out what car it was as they are already making their way down the road.



 

  * He looks down and sees a box with a big red ribbon. Will bends down and takes it inside. It is heavy, with someone round and dense inside. He can feel the contents wobbling around as he plops the box onto the kitchen counter.



 

  * He unties the ribbon and opens the box and inside finds… the head of the man who hit Winston.



 

  * The note inside reads (in Hannibal’s elegant handwriting): _"A small token of my love. He won’t be able to hurt any more dogs ever again.”_



 

  * Will smiles and then huffs. “That ass.”



 

  * Will closes the box and puts it aside, knowing he’ll have to dispose of it later.



 

  * He pulls out his phone and dials Hannibal’s numbers. “You ridiculous man. Turn around and drive back over here. I miss you.”



 

  * Hannibal tells him he’ll be right over.



 

  * Will smiles in spite of himself, and waits for Hannibal at the door.



THE END!

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi and visit me [on Tumblr](http://wrathofthestag.tumblr.com/).


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